Have you seen Queen Elizabeth dancing on the table while the New Year’s message was being broadcast? Or watched Salvador Dali speak about his death, or heard Kim Jong-un talk about democracy?
One thing unites all of these incredible videos: they are all fake. A method for producing and disseminating false information in the form of audio, video, and photos is called deepfake. We have created a guide for you on how to make, spot, and look for deepfake videos on the Internet because it’s becoming simpler to do so.
What Is Deepfakes AI Technology?
A deepfake is a piece of fake audio, video, or photography. Artificial intelligence (AI) for deep learning is used by Deepfake to imitate a specific person in videos and other digital media.
It is produced by algorithms built on real voice, sound, video, or photo samples that are then combined. The algorithm gathers carefully chosen data from various sources and then combines it into a single piece of content. As a result, something new (not real) is produced based on the combination of various real data.
A deepfake can also “paint” a picture entirely from scratch, for instance, by inventing characters’ faces that never existed.
What Does It Do, And Why?
Deepfake is used, among other things, to spread false information on the Internet (for instance, regarding political figures or events), commit theft (for instance, using phony voice commands), and produce pornography (with celebrities). However, both educational and entertaining uses are possible for it.
This type of content can be found in abundance on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social networking platforms. This technology can be found in a smartphone app that enables you to add a mustache and beard to photos as well as other special effects (like aging by several decades).
Who Invented Deepfakes Technology?
Deepfakes were initially utilized largely by skilled exploiters, who infamously grafted actresses’ faces onto pornographic recordings.
However, the adoption of “Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)” eight years ago marked the beginning of Deepfake technology in its current form. It was developed by computer scientist Ian Goodfellow in 2014.
GANs are made up of two artificial intelligence (AI) agents which throw two algorithms against one another to see which one can produce the most realistic visuals.
Deepfakes: How Do They Work?
There are primarily two methods for producing deepfake materials.
Two algorithms are used in the first approach. The general features of the two images that need to be merged into one are sought after by the first algorithm (the encoder), which can then transfer them to the newly created image by the second algorithm (the decoder).
If we want to make a video in which the actor moves like us, for instance, the encoder will use the motion from the video in which we dance, and the decoder will swap out our face for the actor’s face and make them mimic our movements. The chosen actions that are copied to the new image are crucial in this case (for example, movements, gestures, and facial expressions).
The second method uses Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), which combine the efforts of two algorithms. The first one is known as a generator because it produces images (such as the image of a person) by combining general information with that person’s distinguishing characteristics (a person has a body, a face, and eyes). The second algorithm determines whether or not the images provided by the generator are accurate. It is a discriminator.
Positive Applications And Advantages Of Deepfakes Technology
Here are several beneficial applications of deepfake technologies, such as generating an interactive image of a deceased person or engaging customers.
The potential of deepfake technology to produce an interactive image and allow people to connect with people even after they have died away is its most astounding application. “Reviving” a departed person.
The majority of Hollywood movies presently employ standard VFX techniques for face-swapping, such as 3D scanning and head replacements (the process of digitally replacing an actor’s head with lighting and compositing). This procedure, however, takes time.
In Top Gun: Maverick (a Hollywood blockbuster released in 2022), Val Kilmer’s voice, which he lost to laryngeal cancer, was faithfully recreated.
Delivering a more participatory form of education. An American educational institution called Udacity, for instance, has begun integrating deepfake technologies into its online courses. Using deepfake technologies, historical persons’ voices can be used to create artificial ones.
Deepfake technologies are now helpful in attracting clients by making offers and recommendations that are tailored to their needs. An AI-generated deepfake person has been developed by Reuters, a global news organization, and is in charge of summarizing the sports news in the media.
Numerous businesses in the fashion sector are currently employing AI to create virtual fitting rooms where clients can scan their bodies and virtually “try on” clothing before making an online purchase.
Although Deepfakes might be entertaining, some people use the technology for online fraud, defamation campaigns, and personal attacks.
Also Read| Metaverse: Not Just A Virtual Reality But Reality Of The Future
Disadvantages Of Deepfakes Technology
Unfortunately, there are numerous instances of the deepfake being used improperly. This kind of false information, which can affect the stock market, the economy, election outcomes, or even start a war, is an example of how it can have far-reaching global effects in politics. As a result, social trust will decline, contributing to information chaos.
A study by AI company Deeptrace in 2019 revealed that 96% of deepfake films were pornographic, and 99% of those mapped faces were created by deepfaking the faces of female celebrities onto those of porn stars.
Also Read| China moves to regulate deepfake technology
What Are The Best Apps For Deepfake Software?
To make face swap movies and photographs, numerous deepfake software tools are available nowadays. Here, we’ve included a few of the top programs you may use to quickly imitate genuine individuals.
- The greatest for those with websites is TalkingFaces
- The best for developers is DeepFace Lab
- Overall best is DeepSwap
- FaceSwap is the most economical option
- The finest mobile choice is Reface
Does Any Technology Exist To Identify Deepfakes?
FakeCatcher, a technology that can identify fake videos with 96% accuracy, has been launched by the Intel Corporation. According to the company, Intel’s FakeCatcher is the world’s first real-time deepfake detector tool, returning results in milliseconds.
FakeCatcher examines what makes us human—subtle “blood flow” in a video’s pixels—to find genuine hints in real videos. Our veins change color when our hearts pump blood. All across the face, blood flow signals are gathered, and computers turn these into spatiotemporal maps. Then, using deep learning, we can swiftly ascertain whether a video is real or phony.
Research to identify deepfakes is being funded by governments, academic institutions, and tech companies. High-quality Deepfakes are difficult to distinguish, but with effort, one can develop the intuition to distinguish between actual and false content.
In 2019, Facebook held Kaggle’s Deepfake Detection Challenge (DFDC), awarding a total of $1 million to the top five winners.
Let’s test your ability to spot Deepfakes on Detect Fakes by MIT Media Lab (Click here).
To Sum Up
Remember that not everything you read or see online is accurate. Scams are becoming harder to spot with the naked eye due to advancements in phishing and deepfake technology.
However, self-education and training can help you become more secure. You should also try to keep up with new developments in detection and other cutting-edge technologies to fend off deepfakes and other security concerns.
Please share your experience if you have ever used such software or encountered any incidents.
Of course deepfake videos, photos,audios are dangerous.
Remember the Pizzagate fake news story? A man took a loaded gun into the restaurant and fired it at the ceiling because he believed that fake story. Think how much more serious someone might take a very convincing fake video. We have a fair number of people who are really on the line between fact and fantasy, ones with guns. Deepfakes can set them off.
Technology itself is very dangerous. As it is said there are two faces of every coin, Technology can be proved boon when utilised in limited manner whereas it could be curse when used for unnecessary usage.
The deepfake technology here is definitely the cursed side of technology which can be proved dangerous for individuals tripping into theis web.